Cellmate
by JA Baker
Summary: Xander finds that he has the ability to make friends and influence people, no matter where he goes... Battlestar Galactica RDM crossover
1. Chapter 1

_All characters are the intellectual property of their respective creators and publishers; this story may not be sold or distributed on a profit-making basis. _

Spoilers for season two (and later three) of Battlestar Galactica RDM.

_With thanks to Baladen for the Beta_

**Cellmates**

"You know, I wish I had a baseball and a catcher's mitt," Xander leaned his head back against the Perspex cell wall, "Steve McQueen was The Man in _The Great Escape_." He closed his eye and started to whistle under his breath.

"Do you mind?" The room's only other occupant rolled over onto her side and looked at him, "Morning sickness is bad enough, without having to listen to you complaining all the time."

"Sorry to wake you, Big-X." Xander laughed, "I was just wondering how the tunnel's coming along."

"Do you ever say anything that makes sense?" The woman asked, "And I've asked you repeatedly to call me Sharon, Lt. Valerii or Boomer."

"My apologies, Lt. Valerii, I'm sorry if I woke you." Xander stood and started to pace back and forth across the cell, ranting. "It's just that it's been god knows how long since I got here - wherever 'here' is - and I've spent the entire time either locked up in here, being poked, prodded and probed by what passes for a doctor, or having my head dunked in a bucked of ice cold water by a blond haired woman with anger management issues!" He stopped to yell at his cellmate, "So forgive me if I'm just a little upset!"

"Is this how you talk to all of your friends?" Boomer asked, "Or just the pregnant ones?"

"I'm sorry, I truly am." Xander rested his head against the wall and took a deep breath, "It's a sad comment on my life that the only friend I have here isn't even human. Then again, why am I so surprised?"

"They don't trust easily." Boomer sat on the edge of her bunk and brushed a few stray hairs away from her face, "You appeared literally out of thin air, claiming to be from Earth, and talk about God in the singular rather than the plural. That has to be disconcerting for them after all my people have done to them."

"And you? Do you think I'm another Cylon agent?" Xander asked, only half joking, "You said yourself that you don't know what all the others look like, and it sure as hell would explain my life."

"Not everything out of the ordinary that happens is a Cylon trick." Boomer smiled, "I'm not going to pretend that I understand or believe your story, but I don't think you're a Cylon."

"Thanks; that actually means a lot." Xander sank to the floor, "I was beginning to think I might be: the number of times that crazy woman's yelled at me that I have to be, that there is no other explanation for my appearance, I was beginning to believe it myself."

"It must have been something to see." Boomer laughed, "They jump, and when they reach the other side, there you are standing in the middle of CIC, stark naked."

"Don't remind me." Xander covered his face in embarrassment, "It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't so cold in there." He looked up and smiled, "Thank you."

"For what?" Boomer asked, tilting her head to one side inquisitively.

"For making me see the funny side in all of this." Xander looked round when he heard the outer door open, and then stood when he saw a number of marines step in, followed by the older man who seemed to be the ship's commanding officer, "Here we go again..."

"Open the door." The man ordered, and stood waiting as one of the guards unlocked the cell door before stepping through. "My name is Commander Adama, and I'd like to apologize to you personally for the way you've been treated: it's taken us a while to confirm that you're human. But now we have, you're free to leave."

"I'm what?" Xander asked, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"We've arranged a bunk for you in the crew quarters." Adama explained, "For security reasons, you'll be escorted everywhere, but that is partly for your own protection; we have no way of knowing how the rest of the fleet is going to react to news of your arrival."

"Let me see if I've got this right: I do nothing since arriving, and you're going to let me go almost anywhere I want." Xander cocked his head towards Boomer, "She's done nothing but help you since she defected to you, at great risk to her own life and that of her unborn child, and you're going to keep her here in this over-sized goldfish bowl?"

"It's a little more complicated, but yes, that is the gist of the situation." Adama nodded, "Now if you'll follow me, the President of the Twelve Colonies is waiting to meet you..."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Xander walked over to the bunk beds and sat down next to Boomer, "Only one person hasn't treated me like something they stepped in since I got here, and where I come from we have an old saying: actions speak louder than words." He leaned back against the wall, "You can tell your President that I'll be right here if they want to talk."

Adama looked like he was about to say something, but he just shook his head and walked off. The marines closed and locked the door after him, and then they too departed.

"That was a nice gesture, but I don't think it'll achieve anything." Boomer smiled, "But thank you."

"What are friends for?" Xander smiled as he looked around, "Don't suppose you've got a Rita Hayworth poster around anywhere?"

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

_Spoilers for season two of Battlestar Galactica._

**Cellmate 2**

Xander laid bank on his bunk, looking up at the grey metal ceiling above; it had been almost two months since Willow's teleportation spell had misfired and sent him god knows where in space and time. He had a sneaking suspicion that it hadn't been an accident, and that the twice-damned Powers-That-Be were behind his current predicament. He had no proof, but it seemed to fit their modus operandi.

So here he was, sitting in a prison cell on a massive spaceship, trying to prove a point: the only true friend he'd made since arriving was laying asleep on the bunk below: Lt. Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii. The fact that she was some kind of cloned cyborg meant absolutely nothing to Xander; he'd been friends with stranger beings in his lifetime. True, Helo and Chief Tyrol seemed to like him, but that was more out of respect for how he was standing up for Boomer than anything else.

"You think the scuttlebutt's true?" Boomer asked from the lower bunk, surprising Xander, "You think they've really found another Battlestar?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if they found Elvis Aaron Presley." Xander mused, resting his hands behind his head, "Truth be told; until I work out just what I'm doing here in the first place, nothing that happens outside this cell is of any true interest to me."

"I think that it's your constant use of strange cultural references that is worrying people." Boomer got up and walked over to the curtained off toilet and sink, "God, I hate morning sickness."

"Nice to know there are some universal constants." Xander rolled over and slipped off his bunk, then walked over to Boomer. Crouching down beside her, he held her hair out of the way as she was sick, "I think the others would see you as less of a threat if they saw this."

"They'd think it was another Cylon trick." Boomer grumbled, "They seem less open than you."

"Walk a mile in my shoes." Xander laughed as his cellmate stopped retching and flushed the toilet. He handed her a paper towel to wipe her mouth.

"Thanks." Boomer took the offered towel and started to clean herself up. Xander walked her back over to her bunk and sat her down.

He looked around the room for the hundredth time: the stark, utilitarian design screamed military, while the almost completely transparent walls reminded him of the Initiative. That memory sent a cold shiver down his spine, but he did his best to retain his calm composure.

There was a dull thud as the outer door opened, and three men in Colonial Fleet uniforms stepped through. Two of them might as well have 'goon squad' tattooed on their foreheads, but it was the third one that caught Xander's eye: his uniform was that of an officer, and he looked like he was in an unusually good mood.

"Stay here." Xander squeezed Boomer's shoulder reassuringly as he walked over to the intercom built into one wall and picked up the handset, "I'm sorry, but if you guys are Jehovah's Witnesses, we're just not interested."

"Lieutenant Alistair Thorne, Battlestar _Pegasus_." The man introduced himself, "You must be the stranger who claims to be from Earth."

"What do you know? For once the scuttlebutt is true." Xander looked over his shoulder and gave Boomer a wink, before turning back to face Thorne, "Alexander LaVelle Harris, born in Sunnydale, California, Earth, at your service."

"How did you get here?" Thorne asked, "There appears to be some confusion."

"I could tell you, but you'd never believe me." Xander smiled, "Magic; a whole lot of magic."

"There's no such thing as 'magic'!" Thorne scoffed, his two goons laughing along with the joke.

"Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that." Xander smirked, "That's how most people in my hometown got by from day-to-day."

"Anyway, our business is not with you." Thorne nodded past Xander towards Boomer, "It's with that _thing_ over there."

"Now this is going to be a problem." Xander's eyes narrowed. He knew the look on the Colonial officer's face only too well: it was the same look a vampire had when they thought they saw an easy meal. "Here's how it is: Sharon is just about the only friend I have in this messed up part of the 'verse, and I don't like it when people talk like that about my friends."

"That _THING_ over there," Thorne re-emphasized the word, "is a Cylon agent! And I have orders from Admiral Cain to find out just what _IT_ knows about the Cylon fleet following us."

"Well play nice, and we won't have a problem." Xander put the intercom back down, knowing that any further discussion was pointless. He turned to face Boomer, "I'm not going to let them hurt you." He added quietly enough so that it wouldn't be heard though the thick Perspex.

"It's not your fight." Boomed looked at him, her eyes wide with terror.

"You're my friend." Xander smiled, "That makes it my fight."

The inner cell door opened, and the two goons stepped in ahead of Thorne. One of them stepped towards Xander, who loosened himself up, ready for the coming fight. The guard took a swing at him, thinking that his depth perception would be useless due to his missing eye, but Xander had spent almost a decade fighting things bigger, stronger and faster than he was, and had learned to compensate.

Thus, the guard's fist missed his face by a hairs-breadth, but his own blow caught the other man just below his ribs, right in his kidneys. The blow was enough to stun the man while Xander kicked out his legs with a sharp blow to the knee. The goon went down onto his hands and knees, as Xander brought both his fists round in a double-haymaker.

It was the sort of punch that, in a comic, would have been followed by a '_Whoosh!_' and ended with a '_Biff!_' As it was, it sent blood and teeth flying across the cell as the recipient went down, out cold with a fractured jaw.

A moment's hesitation by the second guard bought Xander enough time to close the gap between them and deliver a kick that sent the other man flying into the wall. It unfortunately left Xander's back exposed, and Thorne grabbed Xander round the neck with one arm in an attempt to choke him.

Boomer, driven by her own sense of self preservation, fear over what they would do to her baby, and a desire to help her friend, erupted from her bunk with a banshee-like wail and hit Thorne with all her strength. The blow sent the Colonial officer flying, and the Cylon leaped after him as Xander sank down to his knees, gasping for breath.

By this time, the second guard had regained his senses and leapt to his superior's defense, dragging Boomer off him and flinging her onto her bunk. Her head hit the frame with enough force to stun her as Thorne regained his feet and walked over to her. A well-aimed kick to the back sent Xander sprawling onto the floor, still gasping. The guard held Boomer down as Thorne started to pull her jumpsuit down. She tried to struggle, but with her head still spinning it was impossible to shake the guard loose.

"You guys need to learn that 'No' means 'No'!" Xander grabbed Thorne by the scruff of his neck and slammed his head into the side of the bunk twice before punching him in the back.

The officer grunted and fell to the floor just as the outer door opened again, Helo and Tyrol running in. They entered the cell proper just as the guard was pinning Xander to the deck and getting ready to punch him in the throat. Tyrol running-tackled the guard and the two men collapsed onto the ground, trading blows. Helo ran to Boomer to make sure she was all right, and put his arms around her as she started to cry. The sound of running footsteps approached along the corridor, and a Commander Adama burst in, followed by a squad of _Galactica's_ marines.

"What the hell is going on in here?" He demanded as the marines pulled Tyrol and the goon apart.

"Lieutenant A-Hole here," Xander got to his feet, kicking Thorne in the ribs, "and his friends needed to learn a lesson in manners." He gently touched a bruise on his lips and found blood on his fingertips, "It's amazing the sort of people who get jobs in the military, no matter what world you're from."

"Take those... men... to the brig." Adama almost spat the order as he pointed at Thorne and his two aids, "And someone call Dr Cottle."

"Admiral Cain will hear about this." The still conscious guard warned as he was dragged away.

"You can bet she will." Adama snapped back, "I don't care who's in command of this fleet: _Galactica_ is still _my_ command, and I will not stand by and let something like this take place on _my_ ship!"

"She's a fracking Cylon!" The guard yelled in protest, "A walking toaster-oven!"

There was a blur of movement as Xander charged the man, knocking him clear of the two guards and pressing him up against the cell wall, his hands tight around the mans throat as he tried to literally strangle the life out of him. Two of the marines tried to pull him off, but his strength was fueled by some deep, inner rage. One of the marines pulled a stun gun and prepared to jab it into the young man's side.

"**XANDER!**" Boomer called out, stopping everyone in their tracks, "Let him go."

The look on Xander's face changed from murderous rage to shock as he let go and took a step back, looking at his own hands as if trying to comprehend what they had been doing. He flinched slightly when Adama rested a hand on his shoulder and gently pulled him back a step so the marines could lift the choking prisoner to his feet and drag him away to the brig.

"It's ok, son; I'll make sure they pay for what they tried to do." Adama reassured Xander, before turning to face Boomer, "I apologize: I would never allow anyone under my command to act in such a way."

"I know, sir." The Cylon nodded, meeting the Commanders eyes, "Thank you."

"What the blue blazes happened here?" Dr Cottle appeared, a half-smoked cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"I was just about to ask the same question!" A tall, dark haired woman appeared in the hatchway, dressed in an immaculate Colonial uniform and radiating barely repressed anger, "Commander Adama, report."

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

_Spoilers for season two of Battlestar Galactica._

**Cellmate 3**

"So, Mr Harris," Admiral Cain sat looking across the interrogation room table, "what am I supposed to do with you?"

"Well I wouldn't say no to a cup of coffee and a Twinkie." Xander smiled; his hands and legs chained to the other chair.

"You have caused quite a stir." Cain opened a thick manila folder, "I've received over two hundred requests from around the fleet asking to meet with you. And that doesn't count those Commander Adama received before I arrived."

"Just call me Mr. Popular." Xander smirked, "Is there a point to all this? Because I've been through Interrogation 101 several times: I know that there is always a point where you ether try to threaten or bribe me to do something, or say something, that I don't want to."

"The President wishes to talk to you, but you have refused to leave your cell." Cain looked him in the eye, "Why is this?"

"Call it an act of conscience: Boomer is the only friend I have here, and I don't like the way she's being treated." Xander sat back as far as he could, "And don't give me that 'she's a toaster' crap, or go on about what the Cylons did to your home world. I've spent almost half my life around the sort of death and destruction you can only imagine in your darkest nightmares: I know evil when I see it, and I don't see it in her."

"Your friendship with the other prisoner aside, you have been less than forthcoming about your past." Cain pressed the fingertips together and rested her chin on them, "You talk about these dangers you've faced, the battles you've been in, and our doctors reports seem to agree that you've been in combat, but you won't tell us who you were fighting. Why is that?"

"I don't know how you'll react." Xander admitted, "If I tell you the truth without knowing just how much your society knows and accepts, I run the risk of being thrown into a padded cell." He cocked his head to the side, "Not that the change of scenery wouldn't be welcome."

"I'm a military officer, and as such I need to know one thing." Cain stood, leaning forward on the table, her eyes as cold and hard as ice, "Are you a threat to this fleet?"

"No." Xander shook his head, "And if my theory about how and why I got here is true, you might need my help before too long."

"That I have trouble believing." Cain laughed and walked towards the door, "Good day, Mr. Harris."

There was a loud metallic thud as the door was unlocked from the other side and opened. Cain took a step back and saluted as another, older woman entered, and then stepped out into the corridor beyond. The door closed and relocked with another thud.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you, face to face." The newcomer walked over to the table and sat in Cain's chair. She had a much friendlier demeanor, but there was coldness in her eyes that sent shivers down Xander's spine, "My name is Laura Roslin, and I am the President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol."

"And I am the Great and All Powerful Oz." Xander couldn't help but smirk, "I'm sorry, you seem like a nice lady, but I've heard what you wanted to do with Sharon the first time you met her, so forgive me if I have some preconceptions."

"You're friendship with Sharon is not what I came to talk to you about." President Roslin smiled, "Why are you here? And I want the truth."

"You can't handle the truth." Xander rolled his head back, "You want the truth? Ok, I'll start from the beginning: _In every generation, there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against..._"

"_...the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer_." The President continued, noticing the shocked look on Xander's face, "What, surprised?" She pulled a small, worn book from her pocket, "I'm not sure just how much you know about our religion, but there are some parts that even our priests and priestesses argue about; none more so than the book of the Prophetess Cordelia."

"The Prophetess Cordelia?" Xander asked, "Why do I have a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach?"

"Her story is an interesting one: she apparently appeared out of nowhere shortly before the exodus from Kobol. She spoke at length about a warrior on the side of good, who would one day be sent across time and space, to help the people of the Twelve Tribes in their hour of greatest need." President Roslin sat back, "There is a very old wood carving that shows a man in his mid twenties, with an eye patch. Do you want to guess what name he is given?"

"Given that I have a very, very good idea just who this Prophetess of yours is, I shudder to think." Xander sighed, "Well, it looks like we know why I'm here, but not what I'm supposed to do."

"True." The older woman nodded, a strange smile on her face. "But isn't it going to be fun finding out?"

**_To Be Continued..._**

_I'm not sure how many times I have to say this, but yes, I am an evil bastard..._


	4. Chapter 4

_Spoilers for season two of Battlestar Galactica, particularly Resurrection Ship part 2_

**Cellmate 4**

"I'm still a little confused." Admiral Cain led the way back into her office, "Why did President Roslin want you to observe the battle from the _Pegasus_?"

"I'm not sure." Xander shrugged, "She said something about wanting me to see just what you were up against... oh hello."

"What?" Cain looked round to see the blond Cylon who'd been imprisoned on her ship for some time standing at the other end of the room, gun in hand.

"I take it this isn't a social call?" Xander asked, raising his hands, "One day, I'm going to get my hands on Cordelia and then I'm going to..."

"Shut the frack up!" the Cylon snapped, the gun waving between Xander and Cain, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Me? I'm the devil, and I'm here to do the devil's work." Xander couldn't resist smirking, "I'm the Lizard King, and I can do anything. I'm Keyser Söze. I'm the one-armed man. I'm the second gunmen, up on the Grassy Knoll..."

"I said shut the frack up!" Gina pressed the gun up against Xander's forehead.

"Go on; do it!" Xander smiled serenely, "You'll be doing me a goddamn favor, way my life's been going of late." He sensed a moment of hesitation in the Cylon, "Go on, kill me now in cold blood, just like a human would."

"Don't push me." Gina thumbed back the hammer, gripping the gun with both hands, "I'll shoot..."

"Then shoot me, and prove that Cylons are just as bad as humans!" Xander almost shouted, "Go on: prove them all right. Show them that Cylons are nothing more than killing machines."

"Mr. Harris..." Cain started to interrupt.

"You stay out of this, Admiral." Xander held up one hand, "I'm sure our friend here will get round to her issues with you in good time, but right now this is between the two of us." He looked Gina in the eye, "Pull... The... God... Damn... Trigger!"

"Who are you?" The Cylon asked, her hands shaking.

"Me? I'm nobody; just a lost soul, looking for his place in this messed up 'verse." Xander's hand came round too fast for anyone to follow, grabbing the gun from Gina's loose grip. Turning it on her, he pressed it against her head, just above the base of her nose, "Or maybe I'm nowhere near as nice as most people think I am?"

"Thank the Gods." Cain let out the breath she'd been holding and reached out for the gun, "I'll take things from here..."

"Not exactly." Xander pulled a second, smaller gun from the small of his back and pointed it at the Admiral, "It seems that we all have unfinished business here today."

"Mr. Harris, put the gun down, nice and slow." Cain raised her hands slightly, trying to act as non-threatening as she could.

"You see, this is why the President wanted me to be here today." Xander kept his eye on Gina as he flicked off the safety on the second gun, "School teachers; never trusted them. Always knew that deep down, they were as cold-blooded as the rest of us."

"The President sent you here to kill me?" Cain blinked, "I thought Starbuck was the assassin..."

"She was option A; I'm the backup plan, in case Adama lost his nerve. "Xander explained, "There are those who question just how long this fleet will last with you as senior military commander. Personally, I think that Roslin wants you dead so she can promote Adama to Admiral. She's already told me that she could see him becoming President after she dies, so I guess that this is just Phase One of the master plan."

"And to think I though that she was too soft to be President." Cain swallowed, "Very well; do your duty."

"I think not." Xander lowered both gun, but kept a tight grip on them, "_The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you._" He cocked his head to the side, "I memorized that speech year ago; it's in a film I like. But like the guy who said it, I never really understood it, not until today. Now, I'm thinking: it could mean you're the evil man. And all those people out there in the fleet are the righteous man. And I'm shepherd, protecting their righteous asses in the valley of darkness. Or it could be you're the righteous man, and I'm the shepherd, and it's the Cylons that are evil and selfish." He turned to face Cain, "I'd like that. But that ain't the truth. The truth is we're the weak. And the situation we find ourselves in today the tyranny of evil men. But I'm trying, Admiral. I'm trying real hard to be a shepherd." He turned the gun around and held it out for her, "Which do you want to be? Do you want to be worth salvation?"

Cain looked at the gun, and almost reached out for it, before taking a step back, "I've only ever tried to do my duty."

"We've got a saying on Earth: the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Xander nodded, before turning back to face Gina, "What they did to you was inexcusable, and I understand why you came here today. But this isn't the answer: justice has to be seen to be done, or it isn't justice at all. I'm already overstepping my rather limited authority here, so I may as well go the whole hog: stand down and I'll take you back to _Galactica_ with me. You'll be safe there."

"Why?" Gina asked, "Why would you do that?"

"Because someone has to take the first step." Xander admitted, "And I really want to be the shepherd..."

Gina lunged forward, grabbing for the gun. Xander reacted instinctively, his finger squeezing the trigger twice in quick succession. The Cylon stumbled, and then a serene, almost peaceful look came over her face as she slumped to the floor.

"I am become death," Xander looked down at the smoking gun and the dead Cylon as a squad of marines burst in, "the destroyer of worlds..."

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

_Short interlude written to cover another Fic-For-All pairing. Takes place an hour or so after the last instalment_

**Cellmate 5**

"Are you ok back there?" The pilot asked from the front of the _Raptor_, shaking Xander out of his daydream, "You haven't said a word since we left the _Pegasus_."

"I didn't think there was anything to say." Xander moved forwarded to the empty co-pilots seat, "With all due respect, Captain Thrace, we've never exactly been friends."

"That was different." Starbuck shifted in her seat, "I had to make sure you weren't a Cylon."

"Interesting way of finding out." Xander looked out the window at the fleet, "Christ, Andrew would love it out here..."

"Friend of yours, back on Earth?" Starbuck asked.

"I suppose you could call him that." Xander admitted, "I tend to think of him more as an annoyance with legs."

"You have a very strange sense of humor." Starbuck shook her head.

"Walk a mile in my shoes." Xander took a deep breath, "So, anyways, I was talking to Sharon about you the other day."

"Oh?" Starbuck looked straight ahead, "What did the brave little toaster say?"

"I wish you wouldn't call her that: she did save your life." Xander glared at the Colonial pilot, "She actually tried to explain why you've been such a fracking bitch since I arrived: it turns out we're a lot more alike than I'd care to admit."

"What do you mean?" Starbuck asked, feeling a little uneasy.

"You're not the only person in this 'verse who grew up with abusive parents: my dad was a drunk." Xander admitted, "And not a semi-fun drunk like Colonel Tigh. No, he was a mean son-of-a-bitch when he'd had a few: some of the scars I have, my dad put them there."

"I never knew." Starbuck shook her head, "I guess I always assumed the Earth was some kind of utopia, where things like that never happen."

"We're all only human." Xander shrugged, "Hell, I could have ended up just like you: abusive home-life, left as soon as I could. You ran away to the military; I had other obligations. I see the way you are around Apollo, Helo and the others, and I can get where you're coming from: they're your family, through choice rather than genetics."

"I guess that's why I'm so angry with Sharon." Starbuck admitted, "The other Sharon, she was like a sister to me, and she just stood there and shot the Old Man." She glanced at her companion, "Did she tell you that I was engaged to Commander Adama's younger son, before he was killed?"

"I heard something about it." Xander nodded.

"After Zak died, the Commander and I became very close; he's been almost a father to me." Starbuck shuddered, "Lords know, I've done little to deserve his love."

"Don't kick yourself too hard: if our situations had been reversed, I could have easily been the one dunking your head in a bucket of water." Xander admitted after a moment's contemplation, "It's all too easy to do unspeakable things for what we believe are the best reasons."

"You sound like you've had some personal experience." Starbuck brought the _Raptor_ round in-line with _Galactica's_ starboard landing pod, "Control, this is _Raptor-419_ on final approach."

"Raptor-419, _this is control: landing pad is clear_." The flight-officer reported, "_Hands on approach, you have the ball: call it!_"

"_Raptor-419_ has the ball." Starbuck reached up to flick the switches controlling the landing gear, "Commencing final approach now."

"I once sent a friend to kill someone she loved without telling her it might not be necessary, because she would have held back, and gotten herself killed." Xander admitted as the transport came in for its landing, "We all have our dark little secrets. The trick is to not let them get on top of you."

**To Be Continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Cellmate 6**

Cally made her way along the corridor to the shooting range, surprised to see a pair of armed marines standing outside. They saw her coming, and eyed her suspiciously when she reached the door.

"Hi," She smiled nervously, "I just want to go practice a little..."

"Area's off limits." One of the marines looked down at her, "Captain Thrace's orders."

There was a metallic thud as the hatch was un-dogged and swung inwards, the blond Viper pilot looking out, "It's ok Sergeant: I promised to show Petty Officer Henderson how to shoot."

"Sir!" The marine NCO nodded, going back to standing at ease as Cally slipped past and closed the hatch behind her.

The room was almost deserted, with only two of the lanes in use. Cally slipped on a pair of ear protectors as a target started to advance along the far track. It snapped round suddenly, the outline of a Leoben model Centurion clearly visible. Seven rapid-fire shots cored the center of the Q-ring, then two more hit dead center on the forehead, almost overlapping.

"Nice shooting." Starbuck called out, "you sure you've never used a gun before?"

"Once, but I wasn't really myself at the time." A strange voice answered from behind the baffle, "But I guess it's like riding a bike; you never forget." A tall man with brown hair and an eye patch stepped out from the lane and walked over to the table against the far wall. He slipped the empty magazine from a standard-issue sidearm and placed them both down before lifting a SMG and the corresponding ammo. He turned round, saw Cally for the first time and nodded, "Hi."

"Xander, meet Petty Officer Cally Henderson; one of our knuckle-draggers." Starbuck smiled as she started to ready her own gun, "Cally, this is Xander Harris; our guest and self-proclaimed 'prisoner of conscience'."

"You're the guy everyone's talking about." Cally stood dumbfounded, "The guy who claims to be from Earth."

"Yes I am, on both counts." Xander nodded, "Nice to have another face to put with a name: heard a lot about you from Chief Tyrol and Sharon."

He loaded his weapon and stepped back up to the firing line. Lifting the gun to his shoulder, he looked through the sights and flicked off the safety. A single shot hit the target in the head, just above the other two holes. He nodded, and flicked the selector to fully automatic and pulled the trigger back. The room was filled with the sound of gunfire and spent shell casings hitting the metal deck. The target was shredded beyond recognition.

"Feel better?" Starbuck asked as the target was brought forward, almost falling from the track.

"A little." Xander admitted, "Still not a huge fan of guns: seeing one of your best friends shot and almost killed right in front of you can do that."

"I don't like guns." Cally nodded her agreement, "But I need to know how to use them."

"She's had a few close-calls." Starbuck explained, "So I promised to teach her a little basic gun safety and marksmanship."

"If there's one thing talking to you guys about the Cylons has taught me, it's better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it." Xander pulled the spent magazine from the SMG, "But for the most part, I think that they only exacerbate the situation: pulling a gun during an argument is crossing a line that's damned hard to go back over." He walked over and sat on the table, "It's too easy to see a gun as an easy way out."

"One of the first things I taught Cally here was that a gun is a tool to do a specific job." Starbuck nodded, "In our case, kill Cylons."

"Something she already knows." Xander quipped as he started absentmindedly stripping the SMG down to its component parts.

"Not my finest moment." Cally nodded sheepishly, "I spent all of my time in the brig thinking about it."

"Sharon doesn't blame you." Xander shrugged, "She understands why you did it: that other Cylon really mind-fracked the entire crew."

"You seem to have no trouble with the concept of multiple copies of Sharon." Starbuck grabbed a fresh target from the shelf and placed it on the stand before sending it half way down the track, "Grab another gun and come over here: I want to try something.

Xander looked at the dismantled gun and shook his head. Grabbing the same pistol he'd had at the start, he slid in a fresh magazine before flicking the safety on and returning the slide, chambering a round. Walking across the room, he stood in the last stand and held the gun out in a double-handed grip.

"Ok; your task is to put two rounds through either the head or the heart as soon as possible." Starbuck explained, "In your own time."

Xander took a deep breath and pressed the foot-trigger that span the target round to face him. He froze the instant he saw Sharon's face smiling at him.

"Bang; you're dead." Starbuck stood behind him, arms crossed, "One thing we've had to start teaching our people is be ready to shoot, no matter who the target looks like. Anyone of us could be a Cylon sleeper agent and not even know it. Frack, the bitch that shot the Old Man thought she **WAS** Sharon Valerii for the two years she served on-board this ship before the war started."

There was a moment of silence before Xander placed two shots through the bridge of the targets nose, so close together that they looked like one hole.

"You caught me off-guard, I'll give you that." Xander placed the gun down before taking his ear protectors off and turning to face the colonial officer, "But you don't know the first god-damn thing about the thing's I've done; you have no idea the things I've had to do for the greater good." He headed for the door, "Nice to meet you, Cally; stop by anytime."

**To Be Continued...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Cellmate 7**

"Ok, we'll try this one last time." Xander picked up a fresh sheet of paper and a pen, "Baseball is a game played between two teams of nine players each. It is a bat-and-ball game in which a pitcher throws a hard, fist-sized, leather-covered ball toward a batter on the opposing team. The batter attempts to hit the baseball with a round bat made of wood. A team scores runs only when batting, by advancing its players - primarily, but not exclusively, via hits - counter clockwise past a series of four markers called bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or 'diamond.' No time restriction, but it's structured around nine segments called innings. Both teams are given the opportunity to bat in each inning, and a team's half-inning ends when three of its players are out."

"And people play and watch that for fun" Sharon shook her head, "Earth sounds dumb."

"Hey, I had to sit through a goddamn Pyramid game over on the _Cloud Nine_ the other night." Xander shook his head, "Why the President wanted me there is beyond me."

"She's probably worried that you're not getting a balanced view of Colonial society and culture." The Cylon shrugged, "Helo said that there is a lot of talk among the crew about the fact that you still insist on staying here with me."

"Well, you can tell him to tell the others that the truth is that I feel a little uncomfortable out there." Xander waved in the general direction of the cell door, "If Roslin wants to play the religious card, that's her choice. Me, I get a little uncomfortable when total strangers are asking me to heal their sickness by just laying my hands upon them."

"You're the prophesied one-eyed-warrior spoken about by the sacred scrolls; it's understandable that they're more than a little eager to meet you." Sharon lay back on her bunk, "And you do seem to be spending a lot of time on the _Cloud Nine_."

"I have little else to do with my time." Xander climbed back up onto his bunk and lay down, "And I do feel kind of responsible for the situation over there."

"You mean the fact that that bitch Cain is its new Captain?" Sharon punched the underside of the mattress above her, almost knocking Xander out of bed, "I can't believe you didn't shoot her when you had the chance."

"I'm not a murderer, and that's what killing her then and there would have made me, no matter what anyone says." Her friend popped his head over the side, "She's also the only person other than you and Helo that doesn't treat me with either distrust or religious awe. At least Admiral Adama is starting to treat you like a person; me he sees as a headache."

"In what way?" The Cylon asked.

"That reporter, the one who did the documentary Starbuck made me watch." Xander snapped his fingers a couple of times, trying to remember, "D'Anna Biers! She keeps hounding him for access to me for an interview."

"I don't trust her." Sharon looked puzzled for a second, "Don't know why; it's just this feeling I have..."

"Maybe she's a Cylon?" Xander laughed as he lay back down, "Anyway, she wants to interview me for the Fleet News Service."

"You should do it." His friend suggested, "It might keep people off your back if they knew just how useless you are in real life."

"Hey, I've told you more about my past than anyone else in this fleet, so you of all people should know that I'm far from useless." Xander jumped back down, the sound of his boots hitting the deck echoing around the room, "And if you think an interview would help my case so much, why don't you do one?"

"Have you been at the Chief's hooch?" Sharon laughed, "Can you imagine the reaction among the civilian population if it got out that I'm carrying a half-human/half-Cylon baby?"

"I'm guessing something along the lines of pitchforks and burning torches?" Xander shivered, "Ok, maybe not such a good idea." He looked round as the outer door opened and Lieutenant Gaeta stepped in, holding a large, leather bound book. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively, "Little early for Readers Digest book of the month, isn't it?"

The Colonial officer looked at him for a second, then opened the cell door from the outside, "President Roslin's complements; the complete and unabridged book of the Prophetess Cordelia."

"Excellent!" Xander grabbed the heavy tome and watched as Gaeta left before turning to Sharon with a sly grin, "I can never remember; are we supposed to tip them?"

"You humans never cease to astound me." The Cylon shook her head, "What do you want with that anyway?"

"Starbuck was going on about it on the way back from the _Cloud Nine_." Xander dropped the book on the desk that had been set against one wall at his request and started to flick through it, "She said something about there being some glyphs that no one's ever been able to translate. I thought that there might be a message for me hidden in the text." He lifted the book and span it round; "This was never translated?"

"What wasn't?" Sharon got up off her bunk and walked across the room, "its gibberish."

"Gibberish?" Xander looked at the page, "It look's like English to me..." He flicked through the pages, "It's the only part I can read that's not in italic, so I'm assuming the rest is in Caprican."

"What's it say?" Sharon asked, looking over his shoulder, "Anything interesting?"

"_Dear Zeppo..._it's from Cordelia all right." Xander sighed, "_If you're reading this, then you have worked out that there's a hidden message for you in this book. If you're not Alexander LaVelle Harris, then stop reading now. Well Xander, by now you've no doubt worked out that you're where you are for a reason. I'm afraid that you've been stuck with the same old gig: look out for the girl...Sharon is more important that you might realize...I can't say more without risking everything, but you need to stick close to her, no matter what happens. The Cylons know you're from Earth and they'll be after you. You can't let yourself be captured, no matter what. I might be able to get word to you again some time, but I can't promise anything. Make us all proud, Cordelia._"

**To Be Continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Cellmate 8**

Xander stood with his back against the wall, watching the room: he had chosen the _Cloud Nine_, as it was the closest thing they had to neutral territory in the entire fleet. As it was, Adama, Tigh and Starbuck all looked uncomfortable sitting in the same room as the now Captain Helena Cain; this was now her ship, giving her the home-court advantage. Dr Gaius Baltar, the fleets excuse for a vice-president, sat near the door, seemingly talking to himself. Xander remembered the old adage about the fine line between genius and insanity, and was worried which side the man who was only a heartbeat away from the Presidency stood.

But the two most uncomfortable people in the room were without doubt Sharon and Cain; the two women sat at either side of the long table in the middle of the room, glaring at each other. Xander was sure that if looks could kill, then the entire fleet would have been atomized the very instant they had set eyes upon each other. He couldn't help but smirk when he saw the nervous look on the faces of the two marine guards standing watch: they had strict orders to shoot-to-wound if either woman started any trouble, but the level of hostility between the two of them was such that even a head-shot wouldn't even slow them down.

Finally, almost a quarter hour late, the door opened to admit President Roslin and her aide, Billy Keikeya. Cain, Baltar and Sharon all stood, the Cylon slowly and with deliberate ease, but she waved them back down informally.

"Sorry for the delay; it took longer than anticipated to get away from the Quorum meeting." She apologized, taking the seat at the far end of the table, "So, Mr. Harris, what is it that is so important that we had to arrange this little clandestine meeting."

"Well, first off I'd like to thank everyone for coming on such short notice." Xander walked to the table and picked up the copy of the Book of the Prophetess Cordelia that Gaeta had given him, "I would especially like to thank you, Madam President, for finding this book for me: it shed some light on just how and why I'm here."

"That'll be a first." Tigh scoffed, "I've read the book myself; utter nonsense."

"You've only read half of it." Xander opened the book at one of the many bookmarks, and then hesitated, "Maybe our two friends here should wait outside?"

The two marines looked at Adama, who nodded his silent consent.

"_If you're reading this, then you have worked out that there's a hidden message for you in this book._" Xander begin as soon as the door closed, "_If you're not Alexander LaVelle Harris, then stop reading now. Well Xander, by now you've no doubt worked out that you're where you are for a reason. I'm afraid that you've been stuck with the same old gig: look out for the girl. Sharon is more important that you might realize; I can't say more without risking everything, but you need to stick close to her, no matter what happens. The Cylons know you're from Earth and they'll be after you. You can't let yourself be captured, no matter what. I might be able to get word to you again some time, but I can't promise anything. Make us all proud, Cordelia._" He put the book down, "Now, you only have my word for it that that message even exists, so I think it's best if I come clean and tell you everything, starting with just how I got here..."

The others sat and listened as Xander laid it all down; magic, the Slayers, vampires, demons and growing up on a literal mouth to hell. He left no detail out; no mater how unbelievable and embarrassing, including the train-wreck that was his attempted wedding, and how he lost his eye. He was surprised how calm they seemed, not even interrupting him once until he'd finished.

"I'm sorry; but do you really expect any of us to believe that?" Adama stood, leaning forward on the table, "Vampires? Demons? Magic?"

"It's true, Bill." Everyone turned to look at Colonel Tigh, who slowly reached under his tunic and pulled out a ring on a length of cord and tossed it to Xander.

"Well that's interesting." Xander examined the ring, "The Watchers Council seal: where'd you get this?"

"From my father," Tigh rubbed his head, "he was part of some secret society that kept an eye out for the things you mentioned. As far as I know, they never found anything, but that didn't stop them looking and passing the task on to the next generation."

"You're a Watcher?" Xander blinked.

"No," Tigh shook his head, "I was asked to leave shortly after I started drinking."

"That's all very interesting." President Roslin spoke up, "But what does this all mean?"

"I don't know; the beings I call The Powers That Be, who could be the ones you know as the Lords of Kobol, are notoriously cryptic." Xander close the book and held it up, "There are other passages in here that kind of make sense, if you look at them in the right context. It's going to take me some time to work it all out."

"I think it will take us a long time to work out just how we feel about this, so don't be surprised if we come to you with more questions." Roslin nodded, "But I have to get back to the Quorum meeting before Mr. Zarek stages a _Coup d'état._" She stood, "This meeting is adjourned."

Xander watched as the room emptied, Adama calling back the two marines to escort Sharon back to the _Galactica_. He was surprised at the fact that they didn't even handcuff her, but it was a welcome development. Soon the room emptied, leaving him alone with Cain.

"Well that was, interesting." The former-admiral smiled, "I take it you'll be heading back to the _Galactica_ with the others?"

"Alas, no." Xander sighed, "I have to go give an interview to that D'Anna Biers woman."

"Going to tell her what you told us?" Cain asked, smiling for the first time since she'd stepped down as commander of the _Pegasus_.

"Like hell!" Xander snorted, "The last thing I want is what I said here becoming public knowledge."

"Well good luck anyway." Cain smiled again, a little more softly, "Maybe afterwards you'd care to join me for a meal? Being captain of this ship has few benefits, but I can always get a table at the best restaurant in the fleet."

"I'd like that." Xander nodded, "I'd like that a lot."

**To Be Continued...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Cellmate 9**

"I'd like to thank you for finally granting me this interview." D'Anna Biers smiled as her cameraman finished checking the equipment, "Would you like a drink?"

"I'd kill for a Coke, but nothing I've tried since I got here tastes anything like it." Xander shifted uncomfortably in his seat: the woman made his skin crawl, and he was only there as part of a deal he'd made with Admiral Adama to get a few extra amenities in the cell he shared with Sharon.

"That's a shame." D'Anna smiled again, "Well, we're almost set up, so we should run through some of the questions I'll be asking. I know that the President and Admiral have vetoed some subjects, but there is still a lot I'm sure the people of the fleet would like to know about you and Earth."

"Don't expect too much in the way of in-depth answers: I never went to collage." Xander looked at the cameraman, "We ready to start this thing or what?"

"We're good." The man nodded, getting back behind the camera and turning it on, "Three...two...one...Action!"

"I'm here for a Fleet News Service exclusive interview with the young man who's startling, and some would say, miraculous appearance among us three months ago has the entire fleet talking: Alexander Harris." D'Anna smiled into the camera before turning to her subject, "Mr. Harris, welcome and thank you for finally agreeing to this interview."

"Admiral Adama seemed to be getting a little, stressed with the constant requests for access to me." Xander smiled as sincerely as he could, "So, in the hope that I can answer as many questions as possible at once, here I am."

"Indeed; here you are." D'Anna crossed one leg over the other in a manner that reminded Xander of _Basic Instinct_, "You claim to be from Earth, but you have nothing to back up these claims. There are those who say that you are a Cylon agent sent to infiltrate the fleet, while others, including President Roslin, seem to think you are a prophesied warrior, sent by the Lords of Kobol to help us in our hour of greatest need."

"Well, I have undergone every test your doctors and Vice President can come up with, and it has been decided that I'm not a Cylon." Xander chuckled, "As for the rest of it? There is an old saying on Earth: may you live in interesting times. Well I've lived in very interesting times most of my life, and while I have no problem believing, for reasons I'd rather not go into, that I was sent here by what you call the Lords of Kobol, I feels it's best not to speculate at this time."

"So do you believe in the Lords of Kobol?" D'Anna seemed very interested in what his response would be, "What religion is followed on Earth?"

"Well, we don't know the Lords of Kobol by that name, but there are those who believe that life on Earth began out here, far across the universe. With tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. They may have been the architects of the great pyramids, or the lost civilizations of Lemuria or Atlantis." Xander shrugged, "But then, I was taught in school that all the evidence seems to point to human life evolving on Earth. And as for religions? Take you pick; we've got hundreds. Some believe on one god, some in many, others in none at all."

"So Earth has lost all knowledge of the Thirteen Tribes of man and the fall of Kobol?" There was an undeniable sparkle in the reporter's eye, "Would they be willing to welcome us if and when we get there?"

"Well, it'll be and interesting thing to see." Xander admitted, "There are those who'll want to welcome you with open arms, while others will likely call you demons and call for your destruction."

"Could they do that?" D'Anna asked, "And more importantly, could they defend us from the Cylons?"

"Earth is under the protection of the Great and All Powerful Oz, so I don't see the Cylons as a threat" Xander managed to stay completely straight faced, no matter how much he wanted to laugh out loud with the enormity of the lie, "And we have a big, powerful fleet of our own: one of our legendary heroes is Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship _Enterprise_. Now there's a guy you don't want to get on the wrong side of."

"Sounds like a paradise." D'Anna seemed strangely downcast for someone who'd just been told that all her prays had been answered, "Do you know how long it could take us to get to Earth?"

"Hard to say: our ships have what we call 'warp-drive', which is a lot different than Colonial FTL technology." Xander shrugged, "And if they ever finish that hyperspace express way they're always talking about, it could be sooner rather than later."

"Sounds hopeful." D'Anna smiled faintly, "I'm afraid that's all we have time for: hopefully we won't have to wait another three months for another interview."

"I make no promises." Xander smiled back, glad that it was all over with. He remained seated until the reporter and her cameraman were gone, and then walked over to the phone attached to the wall and entered the number he'd been given, "Alexander Harris for the Admiral."

"_Yes?_" Adama asked as soon as they were connected.

"It went as planned, and I think she bought it." Xander lent back against the wall, "I fed her as much bullshit as I felt I could get away with. Only time will tell how effective it was."

"_Thank you: we know that there are still Cylon agents within the fleet, and the more disinformation we can feed them, the better._" Adama sounded truly thankful, "_Will you be returning immediately?_"

"No: I have another engagement." Xander looked at his watch, "I'll probably be another couple of hours."

"_I'll tell the_ Raptor _to remain on station until you need it._" The gruff old Colonial officer sounded distracted, "_Adama out._"

"And the Academy Award for best actor goes to..." Xander sighed as he put the phone down, "This is another fine mess you've gotten me into Cordelia."

**To Be Continued...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Cellmate 10**

Xander felt more than a little out of place as the maître d', or whatever the Colonial equivalent was, led him across the dark, candle lit room to a corner table at the back, half-hidden behind potted plants. Cain was already seated but stood as he arrived; her immaculate white uniform with sky-blue piping that went with her position as ships captain doing nothing to hide her figure, while the soft lighting sparkled in her hair.

"Glad you could make it." She smiled softly, her hand resting on his arm for a moment, "sorry about the lighting; their trying to stretch out their remaining stock of candles, and there are very few electric lights in here."

"I guess I'm just kind of wary of the dark." Xander admitted as he sat in a surprisingly comfortable chair, "So, what's good here?"

"That's the down side I'm afraid." The captain sighed, "With rationing tight across the entire fleet, and only a handful of ships equipped with hydroponics bays, there isn't really anything here that you couldn't get anywhere else."

"Well at least it looks better than the mess on the _Galactica_." Xander laughed, "After a couple of weeks of that, I wasn't sure I was ever going to find food appetizing again: reminded me too much of High School."

"I take it that you didn't enjoy your school life then?" Cain asked sympathetically, "I can't say that I much enjoyed my time at school: ever since I was a little kid, all I wanted to do was join the Fleet."

"I never had such high aspirations as a kid." Xander mused, "I just wanted to avoid turning into a drunk like my old man."

"So instead you turn into the sort of man that holds a gun to a woman's head." Cain remarked as the meal arrived, "You're not carrying one now, are you?"

"Yes, and at lest four of the other people in this room are members of the Presidents Security Detail." Xander picked up his knife and fork, "I don't like guns: they're only good for killing, and I've lost one friend to a stray shot, almost lot another in the same incident."

"But from what I hear, you're a good shot." his companion pointed out, "Captain Thrace tells me that your marksmanship is as good as many of the Galactica's marines."

"Just because I can use a gun doesn't mean that I like them." Xander shook his head, "I'm better at hand-to-hand fighting, but that would be suicide against a Centurion."

"From what you told us this morning, you must have a lot of experience fighting for your life." Cain smiled softy, "I'm sure that that would ease the bruises on Lieutenant Thorne's ego."

"You sent him." Xander pointed out, "I was just looking out for my friend."

"A friend who is, according to the message you claim to have uncovered, of vital importance to out future survival." Cain took a sip of water, "And how does your friend feel about you spending so much time in my company?"

"Sharon is a little upset with my choice of company, but she accepts it." Xander admitted, "But, considering our history together, as you yourself have mentioned, I'm surprised that you invited me here tonight."

"You intrigue me, Mr. Harris, and I suddenly have a lot of time on my hands." Cain arched her fingers, "You strike me as one of those people who try and do the right thing, no matter what the cost."

"I could tell you stories..." Xander paused when he saw the look in the former Admirals eye, "Well, as you seem to spend as much time with Captain Thrace as you do me, there's no point repeating the story I told her." He took a deep sip of water, "Ok, here goes: when I was growing up, I had two friends Jesse McNally and Willow Rosenberg, and they where, in many ways, the brother and sister I never had. And everything was going along much as it ever was until the day we met Buffy Summers and Rupert Giles, and got a rough introduction into just how little we knew about our home town."

"We'd known Buffy for less than 48 hours when they were captured my vampires and taken away to be an 'offering' to their leader. Buffy and I managed to spring them, but Jesse was re-captured and turned." Xander put his glass down and sat back in his seat, "When someone becomes a Vampire, they're not the same person: they're a demon inhabiting a human body. While they may look and sound like the person they once were, they're not. And that's what I have to tell myself every night when I see the look on his face when the wooden stake I was holding pierced his heat, killing him."

"After our initial escape, I ordered the _Pegasus_ to attack a Cylon communications relay, an easy target. On our arrival, however, it turned out that it was a Cylon staging area, filled with 15 squadrons of Raiders. But I ordered my Executive Officer, a man I had served with for years, to carry out the attack anyway." Cain looked up after a moment's silence, "He rightly refused the order in the face of such odds, so I asked him for his gun and shot him in the head in front of the crew in the CIC. I then turned to Fisk and ordered him to launch the attack, which he did."

"Then I guess we've both got things in our past that we'd rather forget." Xander raised his glass, "To absent friends."

"To absent friends," Cain returned the toast, "and new beginnings."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chief Tyrol watched as the recently landed _Raptor_ was hauled into his bay. He looked up as the door opened and Xander stepped out, suppressing a yawn.

"Hard night, huh?" He asked, "Don't you remember what that bitch tried to do to Sharon, the woman you claim is your friend."

"In the words of Porky Pig, '_G g g g g go to hell, Chief._'" Xander walked across the deck towards the hatch leading to the main corridor, "You of all people should know that you can't help who you're attracted to. At least I have the guts to admit it." He paused to pass a wrench to a hand grasping out from under a _Viper_, "Catch you later, Cally."

**To Be Continued...**


	11. Chapter 11

**Cellmate 11**

"Well this isn't good." Xander stood next to Adama, looking at the blueprints for the bar on the _Cloud Nine,_ "Have they said what they want yet?"

"They want Sharon handed over to them for execution." The gruff old man sighed, "And they want you: seems that some of them are linked to a group called The Earth Protectorate."

"Name rings a bell." Xander nodded, "I think Captain Thrace said something about them once." He cocked his head to the side, "Then again, I find it hard to get her to shut up."

"Starbuck's very religious: she sees you as the fulfillment of the Prophesies of Cordelia." Adama explained, "You're a walking, talking validation of everything she believes in."

"That aside; what do these guys want with me?" Xander asked, "Because from what Starbuck told me, their reality check bounced."

"Well, they may just want to talk to you: you've done your best to keep away from the general populace since your arrival." Adama took a deep breath, "Or they may want to kill you: you are the only solid link to Earth that we've uncovered, and that makes you a target for any Cylon agents hidden within the fleet. And since word got out that you're living in the same cell as our resident Cylon defector, there is talk that Earth might be more willing to accept them then us."

"Bullshit: if there's one thing that I know about my home world it's that we'd never welcome the Cylons if we knew what they'd done." Xander shook his head, "Is there a plan that doesn't involve handing Sharon and/or me over to the nut-cases with the guns?"

"That remains Plan B." Starbuck appeared out of nowhere, dressed as a crew member and carrying a toolbox, "Plan A is we talk them out, after I go in under the guise of repairing the ventilation system."

"That's the dumbest idea I've heard in, well, since I got here." Xander shook his head, "You guys ever hear the saying that to a man who only has a hammer in his toolbox, every problem looks like a nail?"

"You have a better plan?" Adama asked.

"I have _A_ plan." Xander nodded, "I'm not saying it's better, but it's no worse."

"And the plan is?" Starbuck asked, feeling more than a little put out by the way she'd been compared to a blunt instrument.

"I go in and try and talk them down." Xander let out the breath he'd been holding, "Did I actually say that out loud?"

"Evidently." Adama nodded, "Have I explained the bit where these people might want to kill you?"

"Believe me Admiral, that is forefront in my mind." Xander nodded, "And if you have such a thing as a bullet-proof vest, I'd much appreciate it." a marine handed him a flack jacket, "Ok, that was a little quicker than I'd anticipated." He pulled it on, "Ok; I go in and try to talk them down. If I fail, you can come in guns blazing." You guys got a microphone or something you can give me so you can hear what's being said in there?" Another marine stepped forward and clipped something to the collar of the flack jacket.

"You know that if anything happens to you, I have to explain to an awful lot of people why I let you in there." Adama shook his head, "I'm not happy with this."

"Yeah, there is that." Xander nodded, "If anything happens, tell Sharon I'm sorry and I hope everything works out. Tell the President that there are stranger things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in her philosophy. And tell Helena... tell her it would have been nice to get to know her a little better, and not to give up." He turned to Starbuck, "I've seen enough people cheat their destinies to know that nothing's written in stone."

He walked over to the door, and one of the marines pulled it open for him. The inner door was closed, and Xander waited until the one behind him was closed before knocking on the inner one. There was a hushed conversation on the other side, before the door was opened and a gun pointed out, straight in Xander's face.

"Word is you guys wanted to talk to me." Xander managed to retain his poke face as he was roughly grabbed and pulled into the room.

"I'm surprised you came." A woman stepped forward, a gun held tightly on one hand, "I'm more surprised that Adama let you in here."

"Yeah, he wasn't happy with the idea." Xander nodded, "He's even more unhappy with what you guys are doing, so I guess he saw this as the lesser of two evils."

"Are you a Cylon?" The man who'd dragged him in asked, pointed his gun against the side of Xander's head.

"According to all the tests you guys can come up with, no." Xander sighed, "If you're going to shoot me, just get it over and done with: I have other things to do today."

"That'll be hard to do when you're dead!" The man pulled back the slide on his gun, chambering a round, "Earth has to be protected, even if that means we all die out here in space."

"Hate to tell you this, Ringo, but you can't kill me." Xander smirked, "I'm here for a reason, and the guys who sent me aren't the kind to let the likes of us mess with their plans." He looked at the woman standing in front of him, "Go on; try and shoot me."

The woman raised her gun, pointed it at Xander and pulled the trigger. There was an almost deafening click as the hammer fell, but the gun didn't go off. She pulled back the slide, ejecting the bullet and tried again, but still there was no gunshot. Looking at the gun, she ejected the magazine and checked to make sure it was properly loaded.

"Like I said: they don't like people messing with their plans." Xander rolled his eyes, "Now you have two options: A, you put your guns down and this all ends peacefully, or B, the Admiral sends in the marines and a lot of people get killed who don't need to." He held out his hand, "Give me the gun."

The terrorist looked at each other, unsure what to do.

"Give me the gun; no one's been hurt so far." Xander took a step forward, "You don't have to be the bad guys: but if you start killing people, you'll be no better than the Cylons, and I think that's the last thing you guys want." The woman nodded slowly, turning her gun round and slowly handing it over. Xander ejected the magazine and cleared the chamber before looking at the others, "What about you guys? You want to leave this room in handcuffs, or body bags?"

There was silence, then one by one, the others put their weapons down. Apollo grabbed one, passing another to Dualla to cover the prisoners as doors opened and the marines came in, led by Starbuck. Adama followed as soon as the room was secured and, after making sure his son was okay, walked over to Xander.

"That was a brave thing to do." The gruff old officer offered his hand, "How did you know that these 'Powers That Be' would step in and protect you?"

"I didn't." Xander shook the offered hand, "But I could tell from the way she was holding her gun that she didn't have a clue how to use it: no one with any idea how to handle a firearm would ever try and threaten someone with the hammer at rest and the safety catch on."

"You saying that that was the only reason she couldn't shoot you?" Starbuck asked.

"Like I told you outside, destinies are made to be cheated." Xander wiped the back of his hand across his brow, "The Powers That Be aren't that big on direct action: they would have let me die here today and not even lifted an omnipotent finger to save me. They're more interested in The Big Picture." He swayed slightly, "Now if you don't mind, I do believe I'm going to faint..."

His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he slumped to the side, only Starbuck's quick reactions stopping him from falling to the floor.

"So much for the Great Warrior of prophesy..." Adama lamented as a pair of medics lifted the unconscious Xander onto a gurney.

**To Be Continued...**

_The Earth Protectorate is a part of the current storyline in the Battlestar Galactica comic: I'm just using it to add a little extra depth to the story._


	12. Chapter 12

**Cellmate 12**

"It'll be a cold day in whatever hell you believe in before I get involved in this, on either side." Xander shook his head, "And I can't believe you have the audacity to even ask after what you did."

"I didn't do anything, Mr. Harris." President Roslin took her glasses off and did her best to look as non-threatening as she could, "Hera died of natural causes..."

"And I'm the Great and All Powerful Oz!" Xander laughed, "You wanted to get rid of her since before she was born, but changed your mind once she'd saved your life. You wanted her dead, and she dies; call me a pessimist, but I have a hard time seeing any coincidence in that."

"That is beside the point." The President stood up behind her desk, "I need you to publicly support me in the election or Gaius Baltar is going to win."

"Tough shit!" Xander turned and walked away, "I'm not a Colonial Citizen, so it wouldn't be right for me to get involved, even if I did believe you."

"Baltar betrayed the Twelve Colonies to the Cylons." Roslin called out after him.

"Well that's different." Xander stopped dead in his tracks, "You got any evidence to back that claim up?"

"Not enough for a court of law." The President shook her head, "But not long before the attack, I saw him with a woman we now know is a Cylon agent."

"Truth?" Xander turned round, "Why didn't you bring this up before? Before you made him your vice-president?"

"Because I didn't remember, not then." Roslin admitted, "It wasn't until I almost died of cancer that I started to remember..."

"You are so full of shit!" Xander stared at her with a look of utter contempt on his face, "You accuse a guy who even I have to admit is a few cans short of a six-pack of being guilty of genocide, and the only evidence you have against the man is something you half remember when you were doped up to your eyeballs on drugs? I don't know what legal system you guys have, but that would never stand up in a court on Earth."

"Gaius Baltar is a dangerous man; you yourself just said that there is something odd about him." Roslin walk around her desk and leaned back against it, "Accusations aside, he is not fit to be President of the Colonies."

"With all due respect, Madam President; neither are you." Xander shook his head and stormed out of the cabin.

"That could have gone better." Roslin sighed.

"It could have been worse." Billy Keikeya appeared at her side, "He is unlikely to support Dr Baltar's bid."

"Thank the Lords of Kobol for small mercies."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Xander didn't even look out the window as the shuttle made the short trip back to the _Galactica_. In all fairness, having spent ten years dealing with vampires, werewolves and other things that went bump in the night, space travel was no big thing. This view may have seemed a little jaded to the rest of the universe, but it was the survival mechanism his mind had come up with to protect itself from the harsh reality that was his life.

Despite being close to midnight, ship time, the landing deck was still a hive of activity as Xander made his way over to where Chief Tyrol was working on a _Viper_.

"Deck Hand Alexander Harris, reporting as ordered, sir." Xander did his best to come to something approaching attention, but his life-long distrust of authority figures made it almost impossible.

"I still have trouble believing you agreed to this." Tyrol didn't even look round, "There has to be something else you could have done?"

"Like what?" Xander asked, "I'm not stupid, but I don't have the qualifications or experience needed to become an officer, even if I wanted to. My depth-perception is shot to hell, so there's no way I'd pass the medical to be any kind of pilot. There's a good chance that any Cylons lurking in the fleet would just love to get their hands on me, so the Admiral doesn't want me working on one of the civilian ships, not even the _Cloud Nine_. I can't cook worth a damn, so I'm no good to the galley. My marksmanship is good enough to get me into the marines if I wanted, but then we come back to the Admiral and the President not wanting me put in harms way." He shrugged, "Then again, I fail to see where in this fleet could be considered truly safe. In the end, this is the only job open to me unless I want to go into politics, and even I'm not that crazy. I don't like sitting around here, doing nothing all day, so I might as well be useful."

"Well, we need all the help we can get." The chief pointed over to a line of beat up old lockers set against the nearby bulkhead, "You're on the end there: you should find a uniform and a pair of work boots inside. We had to guess your size, and it's not like we can just order some new ones up from supply."

"Make do and mend." Xander nodded, "So what's my first job?"

"Oh, you'll love this." There was a faint hint of sarcasm in Tyrol's voice, "I've decided that someone of your standing and importance in the fleet needs an appropriate job. See that cart over there?" He pointed to what looked like a large shopping cart, "I need you to take that down to the laundry and pick up the clean uniforms for the day shift and have them hanging outside the appropriate lockers before 0600 hours."

**To Be Continued...**

_I have no plans for Buffy, Willow or anyone else to show up, so please stop asking for them to come ridding in to save the day: that's not what this story is about._


	13. Chapter 13

**Cellmate 13**

Xander liked working in the storeroom just off the main hanger deck; it was quiet, and it kept him away from Captain Thrace and her overly religious view on his presence in the fleet. While he was a long way from being able to help run maintenance on the _Viper's_ and _Raptor's_, his experience in construction meant that he knew enough about power tools to strip down and clean them. It wasn't glamorous or fun, but it needed to be done and freed up the more experienced deck hands to work on more important projects.

He looked up as he heard the hatch open, the by now unmistakable sound of soft shoes on the deck alerting him to possible danger, rather than the heavy footfall of standard issue combat boots like the rest of the deck gang wore. As a high-risk target, he could have had his own protection detail, but he felt uneasy with the idea of others being put in danger to protect him, so he had agreed to carry a sidearm all time, and his hand started to reach inside his coveralls.

"Mr. Harris?" Apollo's voice carried from the other side of the racks of equipment and supplies.

"Back here." He called out, continuing to clean the compressor pump he'd been working on for the past hour. He looked up and was unable to hide his interest as the former CAG walked towards him with a rather worried expression. He slowly stood and came to his best impression of attention, "Sir?"

"At ease." Apollo looked round, making sure that they were alone, "This, this isn't official; but something has come up and I have a feeling that you might be the only person who can understand." He handed over a folder, "I've been investigating the black market problems we have, and something inexplicable has happened to one of the key witnesses." He opened the folder and handed over a photo, "I want you to tell me that this isn't what it looks like."

"Let me see." Xander examined the photo, and what he saw made his blood run cold; it showed a human neck, four neat and all too familiar holes surrounded by dried blood standing out on the pale skin. He looked at Apollo, "Where's the body?"

"In the _Galactica's_ morgue." The Major looked increasingly worried, "You don't think it's..."

"I hope to what ever gods you believe in that it isn't, but I've lost too may friends to take that chance." Xander looked around the shelves until he found a length of steel tubing with a sharp, pointed end, "You'd better take me to the morgue, fast, before someone does something stupid like try a post-mortem."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dr Cottle was an experienced military surgeon who'd first seen the harsh realities of life in the last days of the first Human/Cylon war. In all his years of service, he thought he had seen every conceivable way that a human could die, from old age to explosive decompression. However, the body that lay on his mortuary slab defied everything he have ever been taught. For all intents and purposes, it looked like every last drop of blood had somehow been drained from the body through the strange holes in the neck.

The phone on the wall buzzed, but he ignored it, too interested in the mystery before him. He also ignored the sound of running feet in the corridor outside, but the two did distract him enough to miss the slight twitch in the body a moment before its eyelids opened to reveal golden, inhuman eyes. There was a sick, tearing sound as the cadaver's face distorted, the ridges in the forehead growing more pronounced as the fangs extended to several times their normal length. The formerly dead body unleashed a blood-curdling hiss as it reached out towards the startled doctor, just as the hatch swung open.

"**_FRACK ME!_**" Apollo stopped dead in his tracks, unable to take in what his eyes were seeing, blocking the hatch.

"Get out of the damn way!" Xander shoved him to one side, pulling is improvised weapon out as the vampire lifted Cottle by the shirt collar and tossed him cross the room like a rag-doll. Xander dived, missing the human-missile but hitting the deck with enough force to momentarily stun him, losing his grip on the metal stake.

"Fresh, young blood." The Vampire smiled, baring his fangs, "So much better than this old fool."

"Like hell!" Xander rolled to the side, grabbing an unused IV stand and, brandishing it like a sword, "Any time you'd like to join in, Major..."

Apollo snapped out of his daze and drew his sidearm with the fluid grace born of practice and pulled the trigger twice. The Vampire rocked back on its feet as the bullets ripped through its body, but laughed off the attack, leaping towards the pilot. Xander brought round his impromptu weapon with all the strength he could muster, knocking the demon off course just enough to save Apollo.

"You dare stand in my way?" The Vampire asked as it regained its footing, "We are few, but you can not stop us; soon, we shall take this ship, and then every last human in this fleet will be ours."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" A new voice came from the hatch, and the Vampire cocked its head to the side to see Colonel Tigh standing there.

The momentary distraction was all Xander needed: flinging the metal pole at the vampire, he dove under the table, grabbing the metal stake even as he tackled the demon's legs. They both collapsed onto the floor, trading kicks and blows as they struggled for supremacy. Xander forced himself to look through his anger and fear, to use the only recently sired vampire's weaknesses against it: while it was stronger, he was used to fighting them one-on-one.

Letting himself become pinned below the vampire, he waited until it took a moment to gloat before bringing the steel stake up with all the strength he could muster behind both hands. Years of experience paid off, and he found the heart first time. He allowed himself a slight smirk as the vampire looked at him with a shocked expression before turning to dust.

"Awe, crap!" He spat, "Have you any idea how hard this stuff is to get out of your hair?"

"That was..." Apollo stood by the door, "That was..."

"A vampire, yes." Tigh cocked his head to the side, "I need a drink."

"Not yet." Xander stood, shaking off as much of the vampire as he could as the marines finally arrived and secured the room, "What ship was that thing found on?"

"The _Prometheus_." Apollo managed to recover his wits, "We think it's the hub of all the black market activity in the fleet."

"It's more than that." Xander looked at the steel stake, "I want that ship quarantined; no one on or off unless I say so."

"Consider it done." Tigh nodded, "You got a plan?"

"Yeah," Xander looked up, his eye filled with anger and hatred, "I'm going hunting."

**To Be Continued...**


	14. Chapter 14

_With thanks to Baladen for agreeing to act as Beta-reader, retoactivly._

**Cellmate 14**

"Clear!" Xander warned as he brought the heavy display stand around in a wide arc. The glass display case holding the deactivated Cylon in the museum shattered under the impact, sending glass everywhere. He looked at the mess for a second and shook his head, "I've got a feeling that the chief is going to expect me to clean that up when I get back..."

"_If_ you get back." Tigh grabbed the Centurions sword and scabbard, "You sure you don't want to take a squad or two of marines with you?"

"If they're not trained, then they're just so much dead-meat." Xander examined the sword, running his finger along the edge of the blade, "Needs sharpening. Maybe the galley can do something about that."

"You wanted these?" Chief Tyrol came in carrying a carryall half full of wooden stakes. He looked at the mess then cocked his head to the side, "You're cleaning that up when you get back."

"Told you." Xander smirked as he examined the hastily prepared weapons, "You know, if this fails, you're going to have to destroy the _Prometheus_ and everyone on it."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Tigh lifted one of the stakes, "I wish you'd let me go with you."

"Believe me, there's nothing more I'd like than a trained Watcher guarding my back. But you're probably the only other person in the fleet who has a clue what we're up against. I need you back here in case I don't come back. Or worse; get turned." Xander put the sword in the bag and looked at the other two men, "That happens, don't hesitate for a moment: I won't be me. I'll be dead, and a demon will be inhabiting my body. I want the two of you to promise that if that happens, you'll kill the blood-sucking son-of-a-bitch."

"Just one question." Tyrol cocked his head to the side, "Why wooden stakes? You used metal on the one in the morgue."

"Lack of anything better to hand." Xander shrugged, "Wood is best, as it represents life. That bit of pipe was steel, which is made from mixing iron and carbon. Most carbon used on Earth is from ancient forests that have turned into coal. It was a long shot, but I was kind of hoping that one carbon atom that used to be part of a living tree is just the same as any other..."

"Heck of an assumption to make." Tigh pointed out, "What if you'd been wrong?"

"I figured that as the morgue is next to the infirmary, I could have probably gotten hold of some medical alcohol." Xander hefted the carryall over one shoulder, "Fire will kill a vampire, but it's not as neat as a stake through the heart. Holy relics will hold them back, as will holy water. Both represent the user's faith rather than anything else. We use crosses on Earth, but that's because they're readily available and you can make one out of two lengths of wood if needs be."

"I'll try and remember that." Tyrol nodded, "But what do you do if your faith is somewhat lacking?"

"There's an old and very apt saying on Earth." Xander headed for the hatch, "There are no atheists in a foxhole."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The hanger deck was all but deserted. Admiral Adama had clamped down hard on what had happened in a bid to stop the rest of the fleet self-destructing. At least they knew what some of the Cylons looked like; the idea that someone you had known for years could be a blood-sucking demon could have ripped the civilian population apart.

Xander finished getting ready: the crew had managed to find him a marine uniform from somewhere, complete with a flexible but knife-resistant jacket with a high neckline. The _Raptor_ assigned to transport him over to the _Prometheus_ sat on the landing pad, having been gone over by the deck gang twice to make sure that it was in as close to perfect working order as they could make it. Starbuck sat in the pilot's seat, going over the preflight checks one by one.

"Okay then." Xander turned to face Adama, "If you don't hear from me in two hours, assume I'm dead, or worse, and take the _Prometheus_ out."

"I understand." The old man handed over a pouch, "Test tubes filled with water blessed by every priest, priestess and oracle I could find on such short notice; figured they might come in handy."

"_Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch!_ That's quick thinking." Xander looked at the vials, "You'd better get a few more made up: if and when I get back, you're going to need some way to make sure I'm really me."

"On that I insist." Cain appeared in the nearby hatch, "Any chance that I can talk you out of this?"

"Name another person who has any idea what they're up against?" Xander asked, then shook his had, "The President's started a clandestine search to see if there's a Slayer in the fleet, but nothing even remotely promising yet." He shrugged, "I'm the only chance those people over there have."

"Just my luck; I meet someone who might just be able to help me get my life back together, and he's a hero." the former Admiral smiled faintly, "You come back safe, okay?"

"I always do; it's my curse." Xander walked over to her and gave her a hug, "When I get back, I promise to take you up on that offer to teach me Triad."

"I'll keep you to that." Cain kissed him deeply on the lips, "Give them hell."

"That's just where I intend to send them." Xander broke away reluctantly and headed over to the _Raptor_. He stopped just before entering the hatch and looked back at the two officers watching him and came to attention, giving them the sharpest salute he could muster. Adama and Cain matched the move with crisp military precision.

"I thought we might need these." Starbuck handed over a pistol on a gun-belt, "They're loaded with the same explosive rounds we use against Centurions: I had to send over to the _Pegasus_ for them."

"What's all this '_we_' shit?" Xander asked as he slipped into the co-pilot's seat, "This is strictly a solo-op."

"You need someone to watch your back." Starbuck pointed out as the small transport entered the airlock, "And I'm ready. I'm ready to be strong."

**To Be Continued...**


	15. Chapter 15

_With thanks to Baladen for the Beta_

**Cellmate 15**

The _Prometheus_ had been separated from the rest of the fleet, the fighters keeping a close eye on it. Xander watched it grow in the window as the _Raptor_ drew closer, trying to get a sense of scale. He knew, on a purely intellectual level, that a ship the size and mass of the _Prometheus_ was a warren of passages and crawlspaces that he would have to check one by one to make sure that it was totally clear of vampires before he was done.

He didn't even want to think about what would happen if any vampires got into the civilian fleet.

Not knowing just how many vampires he was up against was also worrying. While experienced, he was only able to handle one, maybe two at a time. There was a reason why the Shadow Men had created the Slayer in the first place: no normal human could expect to go one-on-one against most demons and live. Even the Initiative agents had been juiced up on a special mix of steroids and god only knew what else to give them the strength and speed they needed.

"No response to our challenges." Starbuck reported, "We're going to have to do this the hard way."

"They know we're coming." Xander replied calmly, "Never a good sign."

"If this is as bad as you seem to think, what can the two of us do about it?" The pilot asked, "Shouldn't we just leave the _Prometheus_ behind when we next jump or something?"

"No, and for two very good reasons." Xander moved into the rear compartment and started to get ready, "One, we can't just abandon the people over there: we have to at least try and rescue them. Two, the Cylons might pick them up, and I have no idea what might happen if one of them gets turned."

"I was hoping you'd say something like that." Starbuck brought the _Raptor_ into the open docking bay and landed next to an airlock that extended to mate with their hatch, "I didn't want you to be the kind of person that would just abandon people." she drew a wooden stake from he belt and held it at the ready, "Any last instructions?"

"Try not to die." Xander drew his sword as the hatch slowly opened.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_They've made contact with the_ Prometheus." Apollo's voice filled the CIC, "_No sign of movement from within_."

"And now we play the waiting game." Adama mused as he looked around the room; the air was heavy and still, the normal background chatter muted.

Only a handful of people knew the full story, mainly those that had been there when Xander had explained everything over on the _Cloud Nine_; to the rest of the crew, it was just some secretive and dangerous mission that only Xander and Starbuck had been deemed ready for. Despite military discipline, the crew liked to know what was going on, and the Admiral had always done his best to keep them informed on what he felt they needed to know. But the risk of fleet-wide panic was too great.

Adama's eye fell upon Cain: even in her civilian uniform, she seemed to fit in amid the hustle of the CIC, like the room moulded itself around her. He had to admit that she was one hell of an officer, even if her judgement was somewhat questionable at times. Maybe Starbuck was right: maybe they were better off having her around...

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Well," Xander looked around the empty landing bay, "this is kind of ominous. Ever get the feeling you're walking into an ambush?"

"I'm a fighter-pilot; I get that feeling all the time." Starbuck kept a tight grip on the wooden stake she was holding, "Any idea what we should do?"

"Well, a very large and vocal part of my mind is screaming that we should just get the hell out of here." Xander sighed, "But I stopped listening to that voice a long, long time ago: we go forward."

"Into what we know has to be a trap?" Starbuck looked at him, uncertain as to his sanity.

"Sometimes the best way to deal with these things is head-on." Xander smiled, "And I have enough experience with vampires to know that they'll want to toy with us a little first; it's a power thing..."

The words were hardly out of his mouth before something moved in the shadows. Xander and Starbuck span round, weapons at the ready, as a little girl, no older than ten and dressed in what could only be described as rags stepped into the light and looked at them.

"Are you here to save us?" She asked.

"Yes." Starbuck knelt down before her and brushed a few lose strands from in front of the girl's face, "What's your name?"

"Amber." The child looked her in the eye, "The bad man came; he hurt everyone."

"Don't worry; we're here to stop him." Xander unclasped a canteen of water from his belt and handed it over, "You're going to be okay. We'll get you away from here and to another ship."

"Will you stop the bad man?" She asked.

"Yes, yes we will." Starbuck nodded as the child took a sip of the water.

The instant she swallowed it, she started to convulse, her face changing to that of a vampire. Starbuck fell flat on her ass in shock as the young girl screamed in rage and pain before fire consumed her body, leaving only ash.

"I guess that holy water works." Xander quipped coolly as he picked up the canteen, "Slipped a few vials into my flask on the way over: had a feeling that they might try something like that..."

"**YOU FRACKING BASTARD!**" Starbuck leaped to her feet and slammed him against the wall, "**SHE WAS JUST A LITTLE KID!**"

"She was a **VAMPIRE!**" Xander snapped back, "You think this is some kind of game? There's only one rule you need to remember: trust no one. If you think the Cylons are bad, then you're about to have a very rude awakening when you see just what a Vampire is capable of, because when all is said and done, they can be just as cruel and vindictive and sadistic as a human, and I've seen the evil that lies in the hearts of man." He pushed Starbuck away, "You're in the big leagues now, Captain: the only question is, are you really ready?"

"I want them dead." Starbuck took a tighter grip on her stake, fresh resolve burning in her eyes like a furnace, "I want every mother-fracking, blood sucking, son-of-a-bitch vampire on this ship dead, even if I have to take it apart with my bare hands to do it."

"That's the spirit." Xander picked up his sword, "Hold on to that anger, but don't let it consume you: I need you focused on the here and now." He looked down the corridor, "Now, let's hunt."

**To Be Continued...**


	16. Chapter 16

_With thanks to Baladen for the Beta  
__Song lyrics by Bob Dylan_

**Cellmate 16**

"Well, well, well." Sharon stood in the middle of her cell, "I never expected to see you here."

"Believe me, I'm as surprised as you are." Cain looked at the Cylon through the thick screen, "But, despite the current situation, I feel that Admiral Adama is a little uncomfortable with me being in the CIC."

"I'm not overly fond on having you here myself!" Sharon snorted.

"From what I hear, you're not very big on visitors." Cain cocked her head to the side, "Not since..." She stopped mid-sentence.

"Since my daughters death?" Sharon's voice was calm and level, but there was a frosty edge to her words.

"We've all lost people we care about over the last year, some more than others." Cain forced herself to remain civil, "And that is why I am here." She took a deep breath, "We are never going to like each other: I look at you and I see nothing but a Cylon, you look at me and you see the woman who ordered your rape and torture. I may, in light of recent events, regret my actions, but I can not change them. Nor can I change that fact that Xander sees you as one of the few friends he has, so I hope that we can at least come to an understanding."

"This is about your little romance with him." Sharon smiled when she saw just how shocked the other woman was, "You're right; he is my friend, and so he confides in me. Not everything, but about how he feels. We all, human and Cylon alike, need someone we can talk to, even if it's just to get things off our chest." She looked Cain in the eye, "Do you love him?"

"I don't know." Cain walked over to a chair attached to the deck outside the cell and sat down, "I care about him, a lot, but I don't know if I love him, not yet."

"I can understand that." Sharon sat on an identical seat facing the former Admiral, "I do love him, as a friend. I may not be a deep-cover agent, but I do have fake memories up here." She tapped the side of her head, "They were put there to help me understand what it is to be human, to make it easier for me to act and talk the right way around humans. Who knows; maybe there really was a Sharon Valerii."

Then we are agreed." Cain held out her hand, "Truce?"

"Truce." Sharon reluctantly accepted the offered hand, "For now."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_'There must be some way out of here', said the joker to the thief, 'There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief.'_" Xander sung to himself, "_'Businessmen, they drink my wine, Ploughmen dig my earth, None of them along the line know what any of it is worth.'_"

"Will you knock that off?" Starbuck asked, "You're starting to get on my nerves."

"Respect the classics." The young man replied, "You wanted to know more about Earth culture; It's _All Along The Watchtower_ by Dylan, although it's probably more famous as a Hendrix song..."

"How can you discuss popular music at a time like this?" The _Viper_ pilot asked, "It has no relevance what so ever."

"Captain, we've been walking around this ship for an hour, and haven't seen or heard anything, living or dead." Xander stopped dead in his tracks, "I've had enough of this; we're going to the bridge, command deck, whatever you call it. I want answers and I want them..."

A bright flash enveloped them, and when it faded, the room was empty.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Wow!" Gaeta jumped back from his screen, "We just picked up a massive power surge from on-board the _Prometheus_; if I didn't know better, I'd say someone had activated an FTL drive."

"Check your reading again." Tigh snorted, "You can't activate an FTL drive inside an enclosed space; the inhibitors would stop you before you destroyed both ships."

"It wasn't an FTL drive, not as we know them." The Lieutenant shock his head, "But it was some kind of spacial-disturbance."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"...now!" Xander blinked and then looked round at the dozens of vampires that filled the room, snarling at them as they slowly circled, "Oh frack me!"

"By the Lords of Kobol!" Starbuck had her gun up and at the ready, "What do we do?"

"Times like this?" Xander asked, slowly reaching for his own weapons, "Normally I'd have to say 'die a slow, horrible death'."

"The boatman waits for us." His companion narrowed her eyes as she selected her first target, "I say, we make him wait a little longer!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"One hour left." Tigh reported, looking at the mission clock counting down just below the main DRADIS screen, "Still no word."

"We'll give them the full two hours." Adama looked at his old friend, "We owe them at much at least."

**To Be Continued...**


	17. Chapter 17

_With thanks to Baladen for the Beta_

**Cellmate 17**

They call it The Mad Minute: a soldier, realizing that they're surrounded and cut off, can go a little crazy and open fire in an attempt to kill as many of the enemy as they can. Sometimes this is so they can try and escape, or to try and save a comrade, but mainly it's just to keep living for just a few seconds more, to cling on to life in the face of near certain death.

The cry that came from deep within Xander originated somewhere deep within him, in the old, dark part of the mind that still remembered when his ancestors had been hunted in the night by creatures of muscle and claw and fang. It was a cry of anger, of fear and of determination. It stunned the vampires, giving him the time he needed to raise and start to swing his sword, the razor-sharp blade slicing through skin and bone, completely decapitating the nearest demon with ease. Others leapt at him, trying to drag him down, but he struck out with his fist, elbows, knees and feet, hitting anything he could reach as hard as he could.

For her part, Starbuck was surprisingly calm as she fired, the confined space amplifying the gunshot several times. The explosive-tipped bullet struck true, penetrating the vampire's chest before detonating. Bone and blood and flesh flew through the air, only to turn to ash and dust before it hit the ground. She moved to the next target, the world around her seeming to slow to a crawl, like a slow-motion replay during a Pyramid game. An age passed before her gun came round to face her second target and she fired again. The vampire, dressed in what appeared to be some kind of uniform, tried to dive forward but wasn't fast enough: the shot hit her square in the face, blasting apart her head like an overripe watermelon.

Another vampire grabbed her gun hand, trying to wrench the weapon from her grip. Her free hand went to the knife on her belt, and she stabbed upwards, through the demons jaw into its brain. It wasn't enough to kill the creature, but the pain and the shock bought her a few key seconds, long enough to rip her gun-hand free and bring the butt of the weapon round with all her might. It caught the vampire square on the jaw, blood and teeth spraying out as Starbuck grabbed a test-tube of holy-water from her pocket and smashed it over the vampires head. The affect was akin to that of napalm; the demon's skin boiled away on impact, the water burning its way through the vampire until the entire creature was enveloped in a pillar flame.

Neither of them saw the larger vampire that snuck up behind them until he grabbed them by the shoulders and lifted them off the ground. They both lashed out as best they could, but the demon reacted by bringing their heads together with enough force to knock them both out.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Thirty minutes." Tigh looked at the chronometer, "Still no signal."

"They still have time." Adama nodded.

"Hell, Bill, I hate this as much as you do; do you think I want to kill everyone on that ship?" The XO rubbed his forehead, "But we have to face the fact that Starbuck and Harris could very well be dead, or worse."

"I have to agree." The President stepped forward, "While I still find this whole idea hard to believe, we cannot risk a breach in the quarantine. If we do not hear anything from Captain Thrace or Mr. Harris within the next half hour, I will issue a direct Presidential order to destroy the _Prometheus_."

"As you wish, Madam President." Adama rested his hands on the plotting table, "Colonel Tigh; begin moving the rest of the fleet as far away from the _Prometheus_ as possible. Mr. Gaeta, plot a targeting solution for the _Prometheus_, full spread."

"Sir?" The Operations Officer looked up in surprise.

"You have your orders, Mr. Gaeta." The Admiral closed his eyes, "And may the Gods help us all."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Xander woke with a start, his head still ringing from the force of the blow that had rendered him unconscious. He tried to get up, only to discover that he was being held down by a pair of vampires. He looked around, trying to see if they intended to feed off of him, or turn him into one of their own. The later frightened him more: death held no great fear for him, not after the life he'd led, but the concept that his body would be reanimated by a demon chilled him to the bone.

"So, you're awake then?" A rasping voice laughed mockingly, "Good; I would hate for all of this to have been a wasted effort." Rough hands lifted Xander off the deck until he was in a kneeling position, "Tell me, Mr. Harris, do you have any idea what is truly going on here?"

"Well, I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore, if that's what you're asking." Xander did his best to put a brave face on things, determined not to let the vampires see just how frightened he was, "I don't suppose you've got any aspirin on you?"

"They told me you were talkative." The vampire smiled, or at least attempted to, "The long night has ended, Mr. Harris, and the war drums are sounding once again. You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

"Story of my life." Xander shrugged, "Now, can we get onto the killing part; I have the mother of all headaches and I'm really not up to a monologue right now."

"No killing, at least, no more than has already happened." The Vampire knelt down in front of the confused human, "Consider this a friendly warning, Mr. Harris: the scales have been tipped, allowing the Old Ones back, and their anger will burn across all creation. No, we're not going to kill you; we're going to let you live with the knowledge that the only way you can stop what is to come, the only way you can save everyone in this fleet, is to give in to the darkness. For He is coming, and He will not be happy with what He finds."

The remaining vampires stepped away, standing together. The apparent leader sneered at Xander, then they were enveloped in a bright light, leaving him alone with the still unconscious Starbuck. He managed to make his way over to her and found the radio on her belt.

"_Galactica_, this is Harris." He coughed, his head spinning, "I think it's over, for now."

**To Be Continued...**


	18. Chapter 18

_With thanks to Baladen for the Beta_

_Short chapter, setting the stage for the end of this story-arch before I get to grips with the sequel._

**Cellmate 18**

"So, Apollo gets a new Battlestar to play with, Starbuck gets to go and try rescuing her boyfriend, Baltar and Roslin get to go head to head at the ballot box." Xander paced back and forth restlessly, "Frack, even Sharon got let out to go help Starbuck play at being a gods-damn hero."

"They are, unsettled, by what happened on the _Prometheus_: half the people on the ship dead, another quarter just missing." Cain stood on the other side of the perspex screen, arms folded across her chest, "And the message you brought back, that 'He is coming'?" She shook her head, "I am not a religious person, but even I am, shall we say; 'uneasy' by just what that could mean for us."

"I'm not too happy about it either, but that's what the vampire said; He is coming and He's apparently going to be unhappy when he gets here." Xander stopped pacing, "And so here I am, back in the fish bowl for the foreseeable future. Even though I have nothing to do with any of it."

"They do not understand what you are trying to tell them. Gods, even I don't understand it half the time." The former Admiral sighed, "I have lodged a formal complaint with both Adama and Roslin, but I don't think they will listen, given the nature of our relationship."

"I appreciate the thought, I really do." Xander walked over to the partition and placed one hand against it, "With the election and everything, I don't get too many visitors these days. And I know how hard it must be for you, coming back onto a Battlestar after losing command of the _Pegasus_."

"It's something I will learn to live with." Cain shrugged, "As one door closes, another opens."

"We'll see." Xander looked up, "It's all part of who and what you are, and for that you should never apologize."

"Thank you; you somehow always seem to know just what to say to make me feel better." Cain smiled warmly, "As much as I would like to spend the rest of the afternoon here with you, I do have other things I need to be getting on with, civilian or not."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Xander smiled slightly sadly as his lover turned and walked away. No sooner was she through the hatch, then it opened again and another visitor stepped through. Xander almost laughed out loud when he saw who it was, but he managed to retain his composure.

"_Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?_" He asked in a mocking tone of voice, "Acts, Chapter 9, Verse 4: for some reason it always stuck in my head." He cocked his head to the side, "Then again, it is also said that the devil can cite Scripture for his purposes."

"Indeed." Tigh looked more than a little uncomfortable, "I want you to know that I objected to this. You saved a lot of people on the _Prometheus_: you deserve to be treated better. It's just..."

"...politically inconvenient to be talking about vampires and demons just before an election?" Xander nodded, "Yeah, I got the same line from President Roslin when I first got back. That doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

"No one is expecting you to like any of this, but we can't risk a fleet-wide panic." The _Galactica's_ XO started to absent-mindedly drum against the side of the shell with his fingers, repeating the same beat over and over again, "The only good news is that Baltar and Zarek have both agreed that we need to keep everything quiet."

"Thank heaven for small mercies and all." Xander nodded glumly, then noticed the way Tigh was fiddling with something in his pocket, "What's that you got there?"

"This? It's just an old fob-watch. I don't know if I ever told you this, but I'm an orphan; it was the only thing I had with me when I was found." Tigh seemed a little surprised that the subject had been brought up, and pulled the battered silver timepiece from his pocket and turned it over and over in his hands, "I guess I keep it as a good luck charm; it's otherwise useless as it's never worked." The watch slipped back into his pocket, "I'm surprised I didn't hock it years ago."

"One of the many mysteries of the 'verse." Xander turned and walked back to his bunk, "Wake me up when September ends."

**To Be Continued...**

_And yes, I was listening to Green Day when I finished this chapter._


	19. Chapter 19

_With thanks to Baladen for the Beta_

**Cellmate 19**

"So, what you back in for?" Xander looked more than a little confused as Sharon was rather roughly pushed back into the cell by two marines, "I would have thought that after your little school outing that they'd trust you."

"I gave them a reason not to trust me." The Cylon lay back on her bunk and looked up at the ceiling, "I failed to warn them that one of the refugees we rescued was a Cylon. If it wasn't for the fact that Chief Tyrol had already encountered another of that type, he would never have been discovered."

"Why did you do something as stupid as that?" Xander shook his head in disbelief, "You've worked so long and hard to get them to trust you, and now you've just gone and thrown it all away!"

"Why? You ask me why?" Sharon exploded from her bed, her eyes burning with barely restrained rage, "They murder my daughter, lie and say she died of natural causes, and you ask me why I have no interest in gaining their trust and acceptance? You ask me why I no longer care? Have Roslin throw me out of an air lock for all I care!"

"I care; I'm your friend." Xander tried to be as reassuring and comforting as he could while physically keeping his distance, "Helo cares; he loves you, unconditionally."

"Humans talk of love, but all you do is kill: human history is the history of war and death and pain."

"And is Cylon history so very different? Are the Cylon artists and poets, sculptors and musicians? Do you have a society outside of war?"

"Not really." Sharon's shoulders sank as the anger flowed out of her, "Our home-world is a cold, desolate place, only just hospitable to even our physiology. It's hard to have an artistic temperament in such a place."

"Yet you, personally, strive to be more than the sum of your parts, more than you were created to be." Xander smiled, "There's an old saying on Earth; 'do androids dream of electric sheep?' It means can a machine, and artificial mind, aspire."

Sharon stood still for a moment, trying to think of an appropriate reply, but whatever she was going to say was cut off by the outer door opening and a squad of Marines entering.

"You're going to have to come with us, Mr. Harris." A woman with sergeants stripes stood at something close to attention, her face set like stone, "The President would like you to be at the press conference."

"I have a bad feeling that the Mad Scientist defeated the School Teacher." Xander looked more than a little worried, "And if I refuse?"

The Marine said nothing, but her eyes flashed over to Sharon, the threat clear.

"Okay then." Xander sighed, "I guess that answers the question about just how things are going to be run from now on. Very well, lead on McDuff, lead on."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Xander remained silent during the short journey over to _Colonial One_, unsure why his attendance was necessary. Did the newly elected President want to hear first hand just what had happened on the Prometheus, not trusting the debriefing he had already gone through upon his return? There was, he was sure, a PR aspect to his 'invitation'; the interview he had given was still being played over the Fleet's news service, while there was endless debate about just how effective Earth's supposed defenses would be against the Cylons. The deception was necessary, but it was still hard to keep up. As it was only Adama and Roslin knew the truth of the matter, and Xander saw no need to expand upon the group, especially to include someone like Gaius Baltar.

The _Raptor_ flew out from behind the shadow of the Battlestar, and Xander got his first proper look at the planet the fleet was orbiting; it looked just as cold and lifeless as the photos he'd seen had indicated. But it was a planet, somewhere food could be grown under an open sky instead of florescent tubes, where water was abundant rather than rationed. That was all kinds of appealing to people who'd been cooped up inside a ship for the better part of two years, and was without a doubt the deciding topic of the recent election. Still, he had a place, on either the _Galactica_ or the _Cloud Nine_, and he had no intention on joining the proposed settlement, at least not yet.

Later, perhaps, depending on how his relationship with Cain progressed. He might even be able to get back into carpentry, at least on some small scale.

_Colonial One_ loomed overhead and the _Raptor_ came in to land, the skids touching down with a loud thud. He waited until the landing bay was pressurized, then let one of the Marines open the hatch and step through. He was a little surprised to see President-Elect Baltar waiting for him, along with several members of the Presidential Security Team; things were moving quickly.

"Mr. Harris, so good to see you again." The Scientist-turned-politician oozed charm in a way that made the hairs on the back of Xander's neck stand on end, "I'm so glad you could make it."

"I wasn't given much choice." Xander's own tone of voice was cold enough to chill the air, "So, what do you want?"

"You may not realize this, Mr. Harris, but you represent the only truly physical evidence we have that Earth even exists." Baltar looked like the proverbial cat that got the cream, "Is it any wonder that I want you where I can keep an eye on you?"

"Thanks, but I don't swing that way." Xander replied sarcastically, "Sure, I was a little curious at one time, but we all go through phases..."

"That is not what I mean." Baltar's eyes narrowed, "You are not a Colonial Citizen, and you have been known to fraternize with a known enemy agent, and this puts us in a difficult position. I would be failing in my duties as President if I didn't take steps to ensure that the Cylons couldn't get to you. Even if that meant placing you in protective custody here on _Colonial One_." He motioned to the security agents, who stepped forwards, "Place Mr. Harris in the guest room; we have much to discuss."

**To Be Continued...**

_So, anyway, before we go any further, I just want to say this:_

_No, this will not be a Buffy/Battlestar Galactica/Doctor Who crossover, but there will be a third crossover in the sequel._

_I've already had Tigh explain that he became a Watcher because his father was one (which at the time of writing this, no one has picked up on), but now tells Xander he's a orphan. Okay, yes, that was a slip up on my part, but I felt like dropping in a little red herring there so I fudged it a little. It was going to be Cain with the fob-watch, but I felt that the joke wouldn't work as well if it was a female character, so I changed it to Tigh. I did contemplate having a third-party candidate in the election called __Harald Saxon, but that would have been pushing it just a little too far, even by my standards._

_And yes, I am an ass, and yes I do apologize for what was undoubtedly a childish prank on my part. I promise that the next time I plant a clue, it will not be a joke._


	20. Chapter 20

_With thanks to Baladen for the Beta_

**Cellmate 20**

"A prison cell is still a prison cell, no matter how well it's decorated." Xander sat looking out the porthole at the glorified shanty town that was New Caprica City, "And I kind of get the impression that our illustrious leader forgets I'm here some days."

"_You're the lucky one; I've heard a lot of stories from crew members who've been down on leave._" Cain's voice sounded distant over the wireless, "_They say that there's a risk of an epidemic if they don't get the housing up before winter really hits._"

"Believe me, I'd much rather be up there with you. And while I somehow doubt that being in power is exactly how Baltar imagined it, he's obsessed with finding Earth so he's unlikely to let me go any time soon. I mean I've told him everything I know, but there are days when he won't leave me alone. I swear, if it wasn't for the little harem he keeps stashed away in here, I'd be a little worried about his intentions."

"_Oh for the days when I commanded a Battlestar..._"

"Yeah; you could send in the marines to rescue me." Xander managed to laugh, "Not that that would do a lot for my self-image as man, mind you, even after everything I've been though."

"_Do you still miss it? Earth?_" Cain asked, "_You don't talk about it as much as you use to._"

"It's hard, at times... Earth seems further and further away. I know my friends will be worried about me, and are probably still looking for me, but I'm not that full of myself to believe that they won't be able to get along without me. And, I like it here, all things considered. I mean, I've lived with the threat of sudden death hanging over me since I was in high school, so that's not something I have a problem with. It's just, you, Sharon, Helo, Chief Tyrol and the others, you accepted me as an equal. Back on Earth, there was always someone watching my back, trying to keep me out of trouble, forgetting that I was there of my own free will, fully understanding the risks. Here, we all share the risk equally, and as strange as this may sound, that's actually kind of liberating."

"_You have a very odd view of what is and isn't liberating..._" Cain's voice trailed off, and Xander could hear some kind of alarm in the background, "_Oh frack me!_"

"Helena?" Xander stood, the endless list of dangers that a starship could encounter running through his mind, "What's going on?"

"_Oh frack me! How? How did they find us?_" The words were hurried, "_Xander, whatever you do, get out, get out of..._"

The line went dead, cut off by static mid-sentence, and a second later alarms started to sound across the city. Xander rushed to the window and looked out; _Colonial One_ had landed on a low ridge overlooking the settlement, and from that vantage point Xander could see hundreds if not thousands of people running, terrified, through the muddy streets. Movement caught his attention, and he looked up just in time to see the first squadron of Cylon _Raiders_ pass overhead.

"Oh crap!" He hissed, backing away from the window until he reached the door, which he pounded on as hard as he could, "**SOMEBODY LET ME OUT OF HERE!**"

The door opened, and a harried looking Felix Gaeta thrust a gun into Xander's hand.

"You might need this." He looked a little worried, "Standing orders are for us to..."

"...kill me if the Cylons show up?" Xander asked as he took the gun and check to see if it was loaded, "Thanks; it's nice to feel wanted every now and then."

"I just..." Gaeta stuttered for a moment, then gave up, "Good luck."

"Thanks." Xander stood looking at the gun as the Presidential Aide left the room, locking the hatch behind him, "Well, this is another fine mess I've gotten myself into."

"The time has come, and we must act before all is lost." A familiar voice came from behind him, "I just want you to know, I'm sorry it came to this."

"Tara?" Xander started to turn round, but his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the deck.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Captain?" The _Cloud Nine's_ First Officer stood across the ship's small plotting table from the former Admiral, "We have to jump; orders from the _Galactica_."

"Frack!" Cain hissed, her eyes closed as she leaned against the table, "Not again. Not like this..."

"Captain!" The First Officer's tone was harsher, "We have almost two thousand civilians on-board, as well as four members of the Quorum of the Twelve. We have to jump, now!"

"Are the FTL drives spun up?"

"Spun up and ready; coordinates for the emergency rendezvous locked in."

"Forgive me." Cain opened her eyes and looked up, "Jump the ship."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Six known to her compatriots as Caprica made her way along the hallway; her reunion with Baltar had been unfortunately short by necessity, but there was plenty of time to get reacquainted later. But her current mission was of the utmost importance: she had to reach the human reportedly from Earth before one of the more conservative factions did. The information in his possession was the key to finding and making peaceful contact with the Thirteenth Tribe.

She reached the cabin and opened the lock, ready to defend herself from any surprise attack, but knowing full well that she couldn't risk hurting the human.

"Mr. Harris?" The door swung partly open, but stopped when it hit something on the deck. Peering around the end of the hatch, she saw Xander laying beside the bed, gun in hand, "God, no!"

Pushing the door open far enough to get through, she hurried to the young man's side and quickly checked him over for any injuries. She was relieved to find a strong, steady pulse and no apparent signs of gunshot wounds, but was unable to wake him.

"What's going on here?" An Eight appeared in the hatchway and looked down in shock, "What have you done?"

"I found him like this." Six looked up, "Find me a human doctor; some thing's wrong."

**The End**

_I assure you, the sequel will have longer chapters._


End file.
